Protector
by Papersak
Summary: He was only around to make sure no harm came to her, be it a person or an element. Is he just her guard or something more? Plotless fluffy fluff.


After the concert, they had to wait some time for the crowd to clear. Alice hated crowds more than the average person, and she never left the building until everyone was gone. Everyone except the staff and her unofficial bodyguard, anyway.

It wasn't so much that Zero wanted to or even _could_ save her from harm; more so, he hoped his presence would prevent her from harm's way. The deal was that if he couldn't make it, Disco would be the one to take Alice home. As eccentric as he was, however, the dancers' leader was quick enough to notice the two getting along more, and always gave them space at times like this.

As the lights in the building were shut off that night, Zero looked back at the girl lagging behind him on their way to the exit. She stopped walking as he eyed her red and green t-shirt judgingly.

"What is it?" Alice asked, a little offended.

"Don't you have a coat?"

Surely, he knew it was two weeks into summer. "No...?"

He sighed and fidgeted with his hair, sighing. "Never mind. Let's go."

After he opened the door, she knew what he meant. She didn't plan for this.

Alice huddled to herself as the fresh breeze chilled her by surprise. A recent storm must have brought the June atmosphere down to something more in March's league. She tried to remain calm, but there was no use when the wind picked up. She shivered silently.

Her struggle was so obvious that even Zero had to do something about it. He gave her a reprimanding sigh. As if he were expected to, he removed his jacket and tossed it onto her, and he was left in his camouflage shirt.

"You'll get sick like that," he grumbled.

"S-sorry..."

The burst of warmth from Zero's jacket and the soft fur trim around the neck came with a wave of guilt. This wasn't the first time he'd done that for her, which was probably why Zero sounded so frustrated. If anything, she should've been in trouble the first time, for neglecting the weather earlier that year. But in June? Why would she have expected this? Nevertheless, she latched onto the jacket like a blanket over her shoulders. After a minute or so beneath the familiar garment, she felt much better, aside from the fact that Zero was angry.

The truth was, Zero didn't care how many times he had to do this; that number was trivial. He was more upset that he _had_ been keeping track of the weather and he _knew_ he wanted his jacket tonight. He was always better layered in the spring than now. His long sleeves helped some, but his shirt was rather lightweight. He crossed his arms as he always did, secretly gritting his teeth from the oncoming cold.

With one of them agitated and the other uneasy, their walk was very quiet, even for them. Nothing but the occasional breeze or car could be heard. As they stopped at the street, Alice was still too embarrassed by her forgetfulness to look at Zero. Monitoring her from the corner of his eye, he took the opportunity to rub his arms, trying not to shiver. It should've only been a few minutes before they would be on the bus, before she noticed anything...

 _achoo!_

Well, she was bound to notice _that_. Alice looked to her left and saw Zero facing the other direction, arms and shoulders tense. He mentally cursed to himself, feeling a little pathetic.

"... allergies," he mumbled. Maybe he had some? It wasn't necessarily a lie.

Alice frowned. "Just take it back," she ordered, about to take off the coat.

"I'm fine," he protested, standing upright. He rubbed his left arm, the one farther from her line of sight. "Either you're keeping it or we'd have to share it."

She wasn't sure what he meant by "share it," but was tempted to find out. After all, it was his jacket, so if that was the only way he would take it back... that makes sense, right? And she trusted Zero enough not to do something improper. Perhaps he just meant trading it back and forth.

"O-okay, then, let's share it, I think."

Zero looked at her questioningly, but she stared back affirmatively. He hadn't really thought that far ahead, but had too much pride to bother asking if she had any ideas on how to share a jacket. Having proposed the idea, he couldn't take it back. "All right... fine," he agreed. Alice gave -or rather, forced- the jacket back to him. He quietly put it on while his brain raced to come up with an idea to solve their dilemma.

He pondered, holding his jacket open for a second. Zero's verdict was to stand behind her and bring the ends of his coat over her arms. Leaning his head the right, he pulled Alice to his chest and wrapped his soft arms around her, treating her like a giant warmer. Her back could feel a chill on his shirt that quickly faded as she covered him. He initially squeezed Alice tighter than he intended, causing her to tense up. Shortly afterward, the two relaxed and stood there patiently.

Zero couldn't think of anyone else he'd hold like this, and he found himself somewhat confused. If it were probably anyone else, he would just watch them freeze. He just knew he didn't want Alice to suffer or argue about the jacket, and he gave up trying to understand why he cared. Though he would deny it even to himself, he was glad to protect her in his arms. But was she okay with it? He waited for her response.

"Um, thanks," she told him, with shy smile.

He was relieved he hadn't messed this up somehow. "Don't mention it." _Really,_ he thought. _If the others heard, they'd probably gossip nonstop._

Alice's head fit neatly by his left shoulder, and she was snugly engulfed in his comforting embrace. Something felt right and secure about having Zero with her like this. It was almost as if he were her-

"You know," he muttered, "you're going to need to bring a real coat later on." His tone was bitter, but much lighter than earlier.

"I know, I know."

She wasn't really sure what to label him sometimes.


End file.
